Machine for making concrete pipe.



H. E. MARSH.

MACHINE FOR MAKING CONCRETE PIPE.

APPLICATION FILED IBB.23, 1912. RENEWED JUNE 28, 1913.

l,084,1 58. Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

HOWARD E. MARSH, OF PALMS, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 JOHN H. CARR.

MACHINE FOR MAKING CONCRETE PIPE.

incense.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914..

Application filed February 23, 1912, Serial No. 679,483. Renewed June 28, 1913. Serial No. 776,446.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD E. Mimsrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at the town of Palms, Los Angeles county, California, have invented a new and useful Machine for Making Concrete Pipe, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises a device adapted to receive plastic material and shape the same into the desired form, a vehicle to trail said device along the surface whereon the concrete pipe or other elongated concrete body is to be laid, and means operated by the back pressure of the plastic material to regulate the speed of said vehicle.

An object of the invention is to form a concrete pipe in which the particles thereof are compacted together under a uniform pressure.

A further object is to construct the pipe in such a manner that it may be made and laid with considerable speed and yet will not be in danger of collapsing while still in a moist condition.

Other objects and advantages may herein-' after appear.

The invention consists in the various parts, combinations of parts, and details of construction described in connection with the accompanying drawings and then point ed out in generic and also in more limited claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete machine, parts of the vehicle being shown in a somewhat diagrammatic manner; Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line 03 of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a longitudinal mid-section of the pipe-molding device, showing the same on an enlarged scale and illustrating also the means for automatically regulating the speed of the vehicle; Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of the means for transmitting a rotary movement to the shaft of the spiral blade of the molding device; Fig. 5

is an enlarged plan view of the connection for trailing the molding device behind the vehicle.

Referring in detail to the drawings, within the tubular casing 1 of the molding device is a longitudinally extending rotary shaft 2 upon the rear end of which is loosely mounted a core forming body 3, a spiral blade 41 being fixed to said shaft in advance of said body. Said casing 1 has a cross-wall 5, and at the forward end a head 6, said head and cross-wall forming bearings for said shaft 2 to sustain the same in a central position with respect to the tubular casing 1. The core-forming body 3 is held onto shaft 2 by a nut it. To the front end of said shaft 2 is angularly connected a driving sleeve 7 (see Fig. 4:) by means of the knuckle joints 8 and 9. The driving shaft 11 has a squared or flattened portion 12 which extensibly, but non-rotatably, engages the sleeve 7. Said sleeve may have secured thereto a collar 13 which supports the same by resting upon a keeper 141 which passes loosely around said sleeve 7. Said keeper 141 is carried by a bracket 15 that extends downwardly from the vehicle body 16.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 5, the molding device is drawn along after the vehicle by means of a trailing arm 17 which is adjustably secured to the body 1 by means of a yoke 18 and bolt 19 provided with a winged nut 21. Upon the molding device is mounted a hopper 22 from which the plastic concrete is fed to the spiral 4 which forces the material to the rear around the core body 3 to form the pipe P in situ as the machine progresses.

In order to provide means whereby the back pressure of the plastic material upon the spiral blade 4: shall regulate the speed of the vehicle, the shaft 2 upon which said spiral blade is mounted, is operatively connected with the throttle valve 23 of the boiler 24 (see Fig. 3). In order to carry this out, the shaft 2 is provided with a pair of collars 25 between which extends the lower forked or apertured end of an upright regulating lever 26, said lever extending through a slot 27 in the casing 1 and being pivotally connected with a pair of short arms 28 formed on said casing. The upper end of said lever 26 is operatively connected with throttle valve 23 by means of link 29 and crank arm 31.

The upper portion of regulating lever 26 passes through a slotted tubular extension 35 carried by the vehicle body 16. ithin said tubular extension is a compression spring 36 which presses a follower 37 against said lever 26, the tension of said spring being regulated by another follower 38 operated by a regulating screw 39 having a threaded engagement with cap 41.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that when the molding device is being moved forward too slowly to accommodate the speed with which the spiral 4 is being driven, the back pressure of the plastic material upon said spiral will become excessive and will consequently force forward the shaft 2 and its collars 25, thus moving the upper end of lever 26 rearwardly against the opposition of spring 36, opening throttle valve 23 more widely and causing the steam engine to move the vehicle and molding device forward more rapidly. But if the pressure of the plastic material upon the spiral falls below normal, the spring 36 will force the upper end of lever 26 in the reverse direction, more nearly closing the throttle valve and lessening the speed of the engine and vehicle driven thereby.

In the wall of the casing 1 of the molding device and extending around about the core body 3 is an annular steam chamber 42 into which leads a steam pipe 43 which communicates with the boiler 24. By this arrangement suflicient heat may be applied to the exterior of the newly made pipe to form a thin crust therearound to keep said pipe from collapsing before it has had time to harden. It is not desirable, however, that the entire wall of the pipe be hardened. The vehicle may be propelled at a sufiicient speed to prevent this.

44 is a cock communicating with the steam chamber 4:2.

The molding device may be supported by wheels 45 which travel in the ditch 46 as shown in Fig. 2. A beveled lip 47 at the rear end of the molding device permits the newly made pipe to be laid in place more gently.

As fast as it is made the pipe may be covered by one or more shares or blades 51 supported by wheels 52 drawn along behind the vehicle by a trailing arm 53.

The shaft 11 for transmitting rotation to the shaft 2 of the molding device, may be driven by the gas engine 55 by well known mechanism not illustrated in detail.

The vehicle will be driven by the steam engine 5% having the boiler 24, the speed of the vehicle being controlled automatically by the operation of the throttle valve 23 in the manner already described.

In operation, plastic material of the proper consistency will be kept supplied to the hopper 22 to afford a continuous feed to the spiral 4: while said spiral forces said material around all sides of the body 3, compacting said material in the annular space around said body and moving it to the rear to f0 m the pipe P. Said pipe will pass out of the rear of the casing 1 as the machine progresses, the speed of the vehicle being automatically regulated as will be understood from the foregoing description.

I claim:

1. In a machine for making pipe from plastic material, a casing containing a coreforming body, a vehicle to trail said casing along the bottom of a trench, a spiral blade ithin said casing to force the plastic material into the space between said core-forming body and the walls of said casing, means to rotate said spiral blade, a motor to propel said vehicle, and means operated by the back pressure of the plastic material on said spiral blade to control said motor and automatically regulate the speed of said vehicle.

2. In a machine for making pipe from plastic material, a casing, means within said casing to receive plastic material and shape the same into a tubular form, means to propel said casing along a surface whereon the pipe is to be formed, and means operated by the back pressure of said plastic material to automatically regulate the speed of said propelling means.

3. In a machine for making pipe from 100 plastic material, a casing, means within said casing to receive plastic material and shape the same into the desired form, a vehicle to trail said casing along the surface whereon the pipe is to be laid, a motor to propel said 105 vehicle, and automatic means operated by the back pressure of the plastic material to regulate the speed of said vehicle.

4. In a machine for making pipe from plastic material, a molding device, a vehicle 110 connected with said device to propel the latter, a motor to propel said vehicle, there being a molding elementwit-hin said molding device to force the plastic material into the proper shape, means to operate said molding 115 element, and means operated by the back pressure of the plastic material against said molding element to regulate the speed of said vehicle.

5. In a machine for making pipe in sizfu 120 from plastic material, a casing to receive the plastic material, a molding element in said casing, said molding element being constructed and arranged to yield under the back pressure of the plastic material there- 125 against, a lever operated by the yielding movement of said molding element, a spring signed my name in the presence of two sub;

to oppose said yielding movement, a vehicle scribing witnesses at Los Angeles, in the 10 connected with said casing to move the same county of Los Angeles and State of Califorward, a motor to propel said vehicle, and fornia, this 16th day of February 1912.

" means opcrativcly connecting said lever with HOWARD E. MARSH.

said motor to regulate automatically the pro- Witnesses: pulsion of said vehicle. ALBERT H. MERRILL,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto GERTRUDE HINMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

